Anamnesis
by HoundofSpring
Summary: The war with Grima may be over, but Robin's battle isn't! Naga said that if his bonds were strong enough he could survive from killing Grima, she just omitted the fact that he may not necessarily return back to the world of Ylisse. With Morgan on the hunt for her missing father as well, both end up traveling to the absolute political mess that is Fódlan! Watch out, Grandmaster!
1. I have crippling depression

**Anamnesis: Chapter 1 – I have crippling depression**

**AN: Hello everyone! Hound here, coming at you straight from nonstop playing Three Houses. I was a big fan of Awakening, so much so that it was actually the game that boosted me into reading fanfiction in the first place in 2013. Since then, I have read through countless stories and decided to take a crack at my own writing with BNHA, but I wanted so dearly to go back to my roots. With the release of FE3H, I had my in, especially with the assistance of my amazing death bow knight Bernie, who I am utterly convinced is just depressed female Morgan. Which then got me thinking, well, what if she really IS Morgan, and instead of our straight-faced Byleth, we had our red silo cup Robin in his role instead?**

**This is my attempt at incorporating all of that into one story. Here we go!**

**I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters.**

* * *

"Now, Robin! This is our chance! I'm going to finish it!"

"…no, Chrom." Raising his right hand, the white-haired man started to condense a sphere of dark energy in his palm, magical essence seeping from the center like stray bolts of lightning. "I will."

"…Robin?! Wait, what-"

"…**what…what are you doing?**"

"For once, I'm glad that you and I are the same. Now I can give my life to protect those I care for…"

"…**you would…not dare!**"

"I would and I will. The evils you would visit on this world are unthinkable…In some way, I – we share the blame. It's only right we meet our end together!"

"**...NOOOOOOO!"**

Focusing as much of his magic into the growing sphere, Robin pushed his hand out towards the Fell Dragon and let the spell fly free. Upon contact with the avatar, the dragon form let out a terrible screech and started to go limp.

"Robin! NO!" Rushing over to the still-standing body, the crown exalt of Ylisse, Chrom could only watch in horror as the man he loved as a brother started to decay in his grasp, tears falling freely.

"Thank you, Chrom. For…everything…Tell Morgan and the others…my last thoughts were of them…May we meet again, in a better life…"

"Tell them yourself, Robin! No, no, no! Lissa! LISSA! Help, please!" Grasping now at thin air, Chrom looked down at his hands to see that the space his friend occupied was now bereft of any material thing.

"Ah gods, NO!" Collapsing to the ground, Chrom wept openly as the surrounding area started to glow a shimmering green, teleporting the collected fighters away from swiftly falling body of the dragon they stood upon.

"What happened? I couldn't see over all of the risen." A shorter boy with a large mage hat asked his nearest companion.

"I am not certain, Ricken, but I believe that we…may have lost someone." The female noble responded, a parasol held tightly in her hands.

Short mutterings broke out among the veteran fighters as they searched their ranks, attempting to find who may have lost their lives in the epic battle. The search was short-lived, however, as many more turned to find their leader on the ground softly sobbing, watching as the body of the dragon dissipated into nothingness.

"Chrom, darling, what happened?" A pegasus knight with dull-brown hair approached the man, crouching down to his level.

"He, he, I couldn't stop him. It's just like Emmeryn all over again. That selfless bastard…he couldn't think for himself for once, we could have stopped it, I could have stopped it."

"Who, Chrom?"

"Father? Father, where are you?"

As the voice rose above the din of mutterings, Chrom froze in place, turning to meet its owner. Rising from the ground, Chrom's gaze turned downwards as a short girl, no older than fifteen, approached the overlook towards the sea. Gathering himself in expert time, he packed away his grief to address the next greatest hurdle.

"Chrom, there you are. I was beginning to get worried. Where's father? He was with you last, was he not? Did you see where he went?"

"Morgan." _Gods, this will be harder than I thought. _"Robin, he…he isn't here anymore."

"What?" Morgan halted, her inquisitive gaze sharply turned wide. "What do you mean he isn't here anymore? You mean he went back to the convoy already? He is pretty quick, but he would have passed by me, right?"

"No, Morgan. He…he did not go back to the convoy. He cannot go anywhere right now."

"Is he hurt, then?" The girl's look started to become more frantic, her breath quickening. "Then where is he? Where's my father? Where's dad?"

"Morgan, I'm…" Looking around at the ensemble, Chrom rose his voice."When we went to perform the Awakening, Naga offered Robin another option to take down Grima. The empowered Falchion would be enough to seal Grima for another thousand years, but if Robin were to land the final blow on Grima, it would eradicate the beast completely, never to return and plague any of our ancestors. However, the cost was that Robin would…he would…"

Steeling his nerves, Chrom looked down onto the now trembling girl and spoke. "In return, Robin would perish alongside Grima. I'm…sorry, Morgan. Robin felled the dragon."

* * *

_Void, so this is nothingness, then. This feeling of…well, no feeling is quite a stark experience. No color, no temperature, no roughness, no feeling, no seeing. Absolute nothingness. Perhaps now I can finally rest. I've just now killed a god, after all._

…

_Well, just now is quite relative, I suppose. Just now according to my memory could, in theory, have happened eons ago when in here, or not yet even occurred. How does nothing work, I wonder? Would it be better to say I last recall killing a god? I will kill a god, I've already killed one? Gods, this is confusing. Best not get hung up on it, I suppose. Retain what sanity I have while I whittle away into the expanse of nothing._

…

…

…_That was oxymoronic. Can one call nothing expansive? I mean, everything is nothing, but then again, all that is, is nothing at all. It makes sense as a figure of speech, I suppose, but has anyone really considered the denotation as compared to its connotation? You cannot really have a whole lot of nothing since there is nothing to have. Is it weird that we consider nothing like an independent something when it really means that there is nothing to be independently considered?_

_And I'm back to rambling to myself. Again. I will more than likely go insane at this rate. Just close my eyes and rest._

…

…

…

…_At what rate do I really go insane at? Do seconds back in Ylisse translate to seconds here, or is time delayed here? Progressively increasing? Is one second in Ylisse a minute here, an hour? The other way around?_

_Gods, will I shut up?_

_Not until I exhaust my questions!_

_I have all of eternity to figure it out, so just shut up!_

_And we need every moment of eternity to figure out what is nothing! Speaking of moments of eternity, what do you consider a moment of eternity really is, since eternity is an infinite amount of time? Should we consider pockets of time to also be equally eternal, but not necessarily as eternal as void eternity?_

_I am progressing to Miriel and Laurent levels of theory. Do I want to become like them?_

…

_That's what I thought. Hey, what do I see?_

_It looks like a bright light, me._

_A very bright light indeed. Oh well, it was nice talking to myself I suppose, now I have to look all sane and rational and stuff._

_Shame, till next I sleep I suppose._

* * *

"Hey. Time to wake up."

"Ugh, just five more minutes, Frederick. You give me no pleasures in life, you know that?"

"Well, whoever this 'Frederick' is, seems to be quite dutiful in their late-night workings, at least, but I think you have me confused with someone else, stranger."

Processing what he heard took Robin only the span of a second as he bolted upright, taking in the surrounding area. A simply furnished house, tables, and bookshelves everywhere, their contents hidden by the dark of the night. Looking to his right, Robin took in the man before him.

"Wow, Gregor, you clean up well. And you've really worked hard on cleaning up your speech as well. I'm impressed. You've got a couple more cuts than last I saw you, and your hair is, well, different."

"Uh…once again stranger, I think you have me confused with someone else. My name is Jeralt, I'm the leader of a band of mercenaries."

"Mercenaries, eh? Well, officially, Ylisse asks each traveling band to register themselves with the royal arms guild for identification purposes. Do you possess your paperwork, it would help me triangulate how I can get back to the capital in a timely manner."

"Ylisse? Registration? Son, I have no idea what it is that you're talking about. Fódlan doesn't require any official registration for traveling mercenaries, and even if they did, it would more than likely be through the church of Seiros rather than any capital city, especially given the current political climate."

"Wait, Church of Seiros, free-traveling mercenaries, political climate, Fódlan…"

"You starting to remember now? It sounded like you were talking about a bunch of made-up fairytale stuff there for a second, I was starting to get worried." Jeralt put on an easy smile at that.

Robin looked up to the man. "What the hell is a Fódlan?"

"Oh goddess…"

"Jeralt! Sir! Sorry to barge in, but your presence is needed."

"What's happened?"

"Sir, there is a small group of wanderers outside, they look the noble part. They've asked for the assistance of our group to handle some ruffians."

"Alright, I'll be out in a minute."

With each passing moment, Robin's mind raced. _As far as I can recall, there is no region named Fódlan on Ylisse's main body continent. Given the look of the land outside and the nighttime temperature, I can reasonably eliminate Plegia and Regna Ferox. Unfortunately, it looks like I've landed myself into Valm with a group of uneducated mercenaries. All of the little regions are so weirdly split up and have such complicated names. I honestly don't remember half of the places we battled at while fighting against Walhart. More than likely, I am somewhere near the Mila tree given the dense forestry. I guess I can pay Say'ri a visit at Valm Castle and make my way back to Ylissitol by boat._

"Well, stranger, I don't know who you are and what you are doing here, but it looks as though you are armed. Given these noble types, having a bit more muscle around tends to make them trust you a bit more, so why don't you follow me outside and we take a look at what's happening."

"Well, I see no problem with that at all. I actually would like to get into contact with some of these nobles myself, they may know who I am." Raising himself to his full height, Robin straightened his posture. _Best I set a good example now with presentation, nobles don't usually make contact directly with the mercenary bands under their command, other than Chrom, and Lissa, Flavia, Basilio, Say'ri…alright, they may make more contact than I assumed. Damn the fluctuating concept of propriety!_

"Oh, is that right?" A disbelieving look washed across the now-named Jeralt's face.

"It is. May I ask you I question?"

"I guess?"

"What is your current level of education?"

"Haha!" The man guffawed into Robin's face. "Such a blunt question to ask, kid, and especially not one that I thought you were going to ask me! You've got a pair on you, that much is certain. C'mon, we can talk about that later. Got go and help the privileged now."

* * *

"Please, forgive our intrusion. We wouldn't bother you were the situation not dire." Started the first, a blond man dressed in black and blue, flanked on his right by a man with black hair dressed in black and yellow, and to his left a woman with white hair dressed in red and yellow.

_Definitely the noble type, given the way they hold themselves, but none that I have ever met while in Valm. From where do they hail?_

"What do a bunch of kids like you want at this hour?" Jeralt started, raising himself up to his full height.

"We're being pursued by a group of bandits." The blond one stated. "I can only hope that you will be so kind as to lend your support."

"Bandits? Here?" Robin asked, entering himself into the conversation and drawing the attention of the group. "That seems to be quite the egregious error for them, considering the lay of the land and our current position. We hold a tactical advantage with the surrounding foliage, cover of the night, and the high ground. Any small group of archers would make quick work of them from the shadows of the trees."

All four turned to look at the man, varying levels of surprise at the quick breakdown of the situation and basic troop placement.

The dark-haired one recovered first. "Well well well, it looks as though you have a seasoned tactician in your ranks, sir…"

"Just call me Jeralt for now. Where did you set up camp? Should we expect any backup or are you traveling alone?"

"We were separated from our companions and we're outnumbered. They've come after us at the bottom of the hill in the first opening, attempting to take our lives and gold."

"Given the situation, I must say that I am impressed that all of you are handling this so calmly. I…wait. That uniform…" Jeralt's eyes widened when he fully took in the patterns across each of the member's uniforms.

"Jeralt, sir!" Another mercenary approached the stalled group. "Bandits have been spotted just outside the village! And damn…there are a lot of them."

"I guess they followed you all the way here." Jeralt concluded, shifting his hands to unclasp the shield on his back. "We can't abandon this village now."

Turning to face Robin, Jeralt reached out his hand. "I know that we just met, but a lot of innocent lives could be in harm's way if we don't do something to stop these bandits from attacking Remire Village. It is a lot to ask, but can I count on your support to help deal with these pests?"

_How odd,_ Robin mused, _to be awoken in some unfamiliar place and then help deal with bandits besieging a local village within the area. This is startlingly familiar to how Chrom found me, but this time I at least wasn't besieged by Frederick's wariness from the moment I opened my eyes._

Taking a breath, Robin put on a confident grin and took hold of Jeralt's hand. "Of course I will help you. After all, I wouldn't be able to hold my title of grandmaster tactician if I was to give up in the face of some petty bandits. I suppose bandits are a problem everywhere, even here in Valm. Let's head out."

Walking towards the incline, the four behind him looked to one another.

"What the hell is a Valm?"

* * *

_Hmm, a total of seven against the three nobles. Slightly more than double their numbers, but the likes of them are literally nothing to me after dealing with the likes of deadlords and Grima. As it stands, I can probably deal with this entire threat myself and be on my way in less than a few minutes._

_But…experience is the best teacher, especially in combat, and I have three wars worth of experience while it looks as though those nobles have only watched their personal guards handle the ruffians for them. I guess it never hurts to get good in with foreign nobles, makes handling foreign policy less unbearable than normal. Tension is still pretty high between Walhart's former legion of supporters and the traditional Valmese governance, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if we saw a change of government in the near future. Thankfully, I won't have to handle it personally, that would be a nightmare, but I wouldn't be surprised if Say'ri became a constant contact from here on out._

_At a precursory glance, it seems we have a lance wielder, an axe user, a bow user, me, the sword and magic dual wielder, and Jeralt, who seems to be a type of knight. No healers given the lack of staves, but if I were to find one I could probably use it. Based on my preliminary analysis of the enemy troops, it seems highly unlikely that we will require any form of magical healing, rather a simple vulnerary should work fine for any wounds the nobles receive._

_Now, the strategy…I'll distract four of the foes by myself while I let the nobles handle one-on-one battles. I'll wound three of the others for the nobles to subsequently handle while taking on the leader for myself, have to show off my strength in some way. Jeralt can provide assistance where needed or handle any backup that arrives._

The blond boy approached him. "Alright, sir…?"

"Robin. Call me Robin."

"Ah, yes then. Sir Robin, if I am not mistaken, you mentioned that you are a tactician, yes? Have you any idea about how we should approach this group of bandits?"

"I do. You and the other two accompanying you shall follow me as we directly engage the bandits. By the way, what are your names?"

"Oh, I suppose we did skip over any formal introductions, so I shall be quick. My name is Dimitri, the lady in red is Edelgard, and the fellow in yellow is Claude. If I may ask, I thought you said we hold an advantage upon the incline, so why should we move to engage them, instead of letting them meet us?"

"A keen ear, Dimitri. Letting the enemy come to us while we possess favorable ground would normally be among the most advantageous moves we could make, however, we now have to account for the nearby village. Given the position of the trees relative to the houses, letting these bandits come any closer than necessary runs the risk of fires reaching the village at a rate that we cannot control any damage. As such, stopping their frontal assault now eliminates the need to consider civilian lives, but in turn, removes our tactical advantage. In every situation, I would take the one that minimizes the loss of lives."

"Well spoken, sir," turning his head, Robin looked on as the other two, Edelgard and Claude, approached him and Dimitri, "it is not often that one meets someone who values all lives as being equal to one another." Edelgard continued.

"Well, after fighting in three wars, you tend to grasp an understanding of the cost of human life, especially when you were the one commanding the entire efforts of a kingdom single-handedly."

"Wait, three wars?! That…makes no sense, the most recent war was between the Adrestian Empire and the combined forces of Dagda and Brigid, and before that, was the Leicester Rebellion and the Crescent Moon War nearly three hundred years ago, and before that was the Faerghus Rebellion and the War of the Eagle and Lion, one hundred years before that!"

"I…have no idea what you are talking about to be completely honest, Claude. Right now, however, we have an enemy to engage. Listen, each of you is to take one of the three enemies to our left, I will lead an independent charge to the right and take on the four. Whoever I do not kill immediately, I expect you to finish off. The commander will be mine to handle independently. Understood?"

A quick chorus of yesses started the first of Robin's many inevitable encounters in this new land.

* * *

"Hey, you with the weird cloak! Outta my way! Kostas won't be turning up empty-handed with this job!"

Robin watched on with a lazy expression as the self-proclaimed Kostas rushed towards him, axe raised high above his head. "You know, the way you just worded that implies that you usually turn up empty-handed. You probably make for a pretty lousy bandit, if I can even call you that."

"Gah, I'll cleave you in two!"

"I highly doubt you possess the physical strength to even jostle my clothing, but we shall see, I suppose."

The three lords watched on with interest as Robin sheathed his sword, a repeatedly improved and reforged Levin sword that seemed to brim with magical potency, and held his hands to his sides.

"Sir Robin, the ruffian is drawing closer." Dimitri noted.

"I can see that."

"Shouldn't you, I dunno, have a weapon drawn to block his attack with?" Claude asked, tensing himself to watch as this strange man would be cleaved apart.

"Under most normal circumstances, I suppose so."

"Sir, you must do something!" Edelgard pressed, Kostas nearly on them.

"Don't worry, I will." Flashing each of the nobles a smirk, Robin reached within himself and activated _Pass_, and blurred from his spot to holding Kostas's hands in place with his left hand.

"But first, a little lesson in power."

The nobles and Kostas could only watch on as Robin continued with his speech. "I can tell that each of you are, in some manner, a noble by birth. Barring you, of course, Kastas. You have your own experiences, and I have mine, but it is plain to me that each of you, when compared to me…"

"It's Kostas! And how the hell are you so strong?!"

Tightening his grip, Robin faded his hearing to the sickening sound of the man's hands that he held in his grasp crushed together.

"…are absolutely weak. The only way you can even hope to measure up to my likeness, to be as strong as I am one day, is to train fervently and with diligence. There is no shortcut in the path of gaining literal strength. I have trained almost nonstop for nearly four years through three wars, and this, this is the result."

Flinging the man from his grasp, Robin ignited _Ignis _as he condensed a simple _Thunder_ spell in his palm, and flung it at the man.

In every other circumstance where Robin used the most basic spell in his repertoire, the medium-sized ball of electricity would rapidly descend upon his victim, explode with magical power in the form of electrical shocks, and kill his enemy. When he turned to look at the ball of electricity now, however, Robin noticed that the once chest-sized ball of electricity was about the size of a full-grown wyvern.

"Huh, they've never gotten that big befo-"

The surrounding area exploded in light as the spell connected with the poor brigand.

* * *

"Jeralt, is that you?!"

"Ugh, why him?"

"Captain Jeralt, it is you! Goodness, it's been ages. Do you remember me? It's Alois! Your old – hey, what's that?"

A flash of light filled the area, followed by a deafening roar of sound and harsh burst of wind.

"Those nobles…"

"Good heavens, the students! Come, captain! We have to protect them!"

Gathering himself, Jeralt rushed towards the likely epicenter of the blast.

* * *

_By the gods, the magical potency in this land must be immense! It felt natural to just cast the spell, but I hadn't considered the equivalent exchange for the spell itself, usually a page from a tome. At my level, I could cast Thunder with the exchange of a bit of my energy, not tome required, but I felt nothing when I cast this! Given the size and density of the spell, I should have felt a fairly significant pull, but either the air in this land is saturated with magic or something inside me has changed._

Dimitri was the first to recover from the display. "By the goddess, to have such a level of magical manipulation, it's unheard of…"

"You know," Claude started, "after watching that, I might have to believe that this guy was in three wars. Are you, by any chance, roughly four-hundred and fifty years?"

"It is more likely that he has been studying the arcane arts far longer than any other person we have met, Claude." Edelgard remarked, attempting to rationalize the subject. "You must have attended one of the arcaneums, perhaps the one in the empire? To have mastered a spell such as _Ragnarok_…although, for you to possess your current level of manipulation, you must have been enrolled extremely early, to a point that even I would have heard of it. My father would have taken interest in a magical prodigy such as yourself."

"Perhaps so, Edelgard, or he could have attended the one in the kingdom." Dimitri countered. "I agree that Ionius IX would not have let such a talented individual escape his grasp, but it is for that exact reason that it seems unlikely he studied in Adrestian territory. The kingdom's school of sorcery in Fhirdiad does produce exceptional individuals, after all. And such strength as well, he must have earned that while working under the Blade Breaker…"

"Or maybe he just studied a lot of magic when he was a kid and turned out to be a natural prodigy all within alliance territory."

Turning their heads, Edelgard and Dimitri both gave Claude a blank expression.

"What? It's unlikely, but it could have happened!"

"Uh, guys? You do know that I am right here?"

"Well, regardless of where or how he came to possess such techniques," Edelgard continued, "what matters now is how he will put them to use. Such strength, both literally and in arcane matters, will prove to be an invaluable asset to the empire when I enlist him to serve in the Black Eagle house in the academy."

"Hah, Edelgard! I do not recall you making any attempts at learning the art of jesting, but I will admit that what you just said had to have been the most ridiculous thing I have heard all day! This Robin fellow would fare far better in the Blue Lion house and as an individual in service to the kingdom of Faerghus! Especially as a tactician. Given the way he holds himself, such confidence and superiority, he must have some ties to nobility himself. It would be the only natural environment for him."

"Oh, look at the two of you, squabbling like children over this man just for his talents. As a fellow man working as an equal in the Golden Deer house and with the Leicester Alliance, everyone would value him for who he is, even with his skewed notion of geography. As such, I call dibs on him being in my house."

"Claude, you cannot call dibs on a man you just met. And Dimitri, I would not expect Robin to have to deal with any nobles was he in service to the empire, it being such a decrepit and outdated system as it is. Perhaps you should review your thoughts before you insist on making them the words you speak, it makes for a lacking ruler."

"First of all, that was a _Thunder_ spell I cast, I don't know what happened. And secondly, I am literally right in front of the three of you. Can you not hear me?"

"Edelgard, it was only a suggestion. Perhaps you should not jump too hastily to the most negative outcome based on what people say, it makes for a lacking ruler. Although she is right Claude, you cannot call dibs on Sir Robin."

"Ah, but that goes against the very nature of dibs in the first place! You cannot manipulate it to serve your intentions on a whim or when it inconveniences you either. That is part of the rule of dibs. Besides, a budding tactician like myself needs an excellent instructor such as himself. Given the display of my tactical prowess when we first encountered those bandits, we all could have handled those bandits soundly had the both of you read my intentions more clearly, and under Robin's instruction, I would certainly flourish!"

"Your tactical prowess, you say? At first sight of those bandits, you turned coat and fled the scene!" Edelgard exclaimed.

"Excuse me, I believe the words that you are looking for are _tactical retreat_. And it would have worked splendidly had the both of you not followed after me! Diverting their forces and all of that!"

"Alright, that's enough!" Robin shouted, startling each of the nobles. "Listen, I just met each of you not even an hour ago, and while it sounds like each of you has a splendid offer for me, I can't stay here in Valm. I already work in the service of another lord in the halidom of Ylisse. You know, the land across the sea? You might be some of the most sheltered nobles that I have ever met."

Drawing offended looks from each of them, Robin took a mental step back. _Alright, insulting their intelligence may not be the best idea, even though it usually works with Chrom._ Sighing, Robin ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I'm sorry, but I have a lot of people expecting my return. I just need to get to a major city hub, talk with Say'ri, and organize a return trip to Ylisse."

Each of the nobles looked between one another before Edelgard spoke up. "Sir, I can speak for each of us when I say that we have no clue what it is that you are talking about. There is no country of –"

"The students! There you are! Are all of you alright? Do any of you require medical assistance?"

"Ah, Alois." Dimitri turned to greet the knight in blindingly white armor. "Each of us is unharmed, thanks to the efforts of Sir Robin. I had not known that the Blade Breaker employed such a reliable tactician under his command, although not many people can say they know much regarding the happenings of Sir Jeralt anyways. I suppose your presence means we will be returning to the monastery now?"

"Correct you are! The bandits have been dealt with, so our job here is done. I guess you can say that your combined efforts really SNATCHED the wind right from under their sails, huh?"

The man was met with silence.

"Heh, get it? Because they're thieves, and they snatch stuff…?"

More silence.

"Well then," coughing and turning his head, Alois continued, "uh, yes, we will gather our supplies and return back to Garreg Mach. And you! Sir tactician! Captain Jeralt hadn't told me that he hired a tactician. For you to have led the students to victory without a single scratch on them, you must be quite exemplary! I bet that lady Rhea would love to make your acquaintance. Captain Jeralt, you must come back with us so that we can give your tactician the proper thanks for saving the students."

"You haven't changed a bit, Alois. Just as loud as ever. And enough with the 'captain' stuff, it's just Jeralt now. I don't work under the Knights of Seiros any longer. These days, I'm just a wandering mercenary. And the tactician, while indeed intelligent, does not work under me. I simply found him in one of the houses left for my mercenary company when we happened into Remire. What he wishes to do is up to him, not me. Speaking of things to do, I have work to attend to. Good-bye, old friend."

"Right…Good-bye, Captain…Wait, that isn't how this will end! I insist that you and the tactician accompany the students and I back to the monastery! Lady Rhea would be overjoyed to see you!"

"Garreg Mach Monastery…I suppose this was inevitable. Well kid, are you going to join us?"

"If this Garreg Mach Monastery leads me to one of the imperial roads, then I suppose I will, yes."

"Leads you to one of the imperial roads?!" Alois started, surprised at the response. "Why, it's the central hub for all imperial roads! The church funds road maintenance to each of the three major capital cities, after all. Wherever it is that you need to go, heading to Garreg Mach Monastery would be the perfect starting point! That is pretty standard knowledge, after all."

_Huh, looks like Valm has been up to a lot since I've been away. Maybe my time dilation theories were worth looking into while I was trapped in that void. How long has it really been since I defeated Grima? Getting into contact with the archbishop might provide me with some information since they are usually required in being knowledgeable on events such as killing a dragon god of death and destruction._

"Alright then, lead the way."

* * *

"Bernie, won't you come out of your room for just five minutes? I understand that everyone likes doses of peace and quiet during the day, but I think this is starting to become an unhealthy habit for you."

"AH! N-n-no, I'm sorry! I didn't do it, and even if I did youcan'tproveitbutthereisnothingforyoutoprovebecauseIdidn'tdoanythinginthefirstplacesoIdon'thaveto-"

"Bernadetta, breathe! I'm sorry if I startled you, but you know that everyone tends to get worried when you don't come out of your room, especially when you don't show up in the dining hall when it's mealtime."

"I know, Dorothea, but you don't have to worry about it. I get my own food every day, promise! I just, don't really like being in big open spaces when there a lot of people in said spaces."

Laying her head against the wall of her room, Morgan, or as she was called here, Bernadetta, sighed as she slumped down to the wall. Two years. She had been searching for two whole _years_ and yet she found neither hide nor hair of her father.

Naga believed that Robin's bonds were, in the end, strong enough to raise him from the dead, but she neglected to mention that he could have been alive in a completely different plane of existence. After many long discussions regarding moving through planes of existence with Naga and questions regarding the Outrealms with the Annas, Morgan calculated the most likely place for Robin to reappear in and traveled to the land of Fódlan.

It was difficult at first to find a cover story for her presence since it seemed that the divided nation did not have as large a grasp on the Outrealms as Ylisse did. Trying to educate people on reality-warping powers when the political climate all but screamed preparation for war would do no favors for anyone. Thankfully, she didn't have to look far before she found her cover.

Unfortunately, it came at the expense of someone else's misfortune. The count of one House Varley under the Adrestian Empire had a deathly ill daughter, eldest and heir to the house. It just so happened to be that Morgan happened across the main house of Varley during the day of the closed memorial service. Apparently, her likeness to the eldest daughter was so uncanny that the house servant which answered her call fainted after taking her into sight.

Morgan was, upon making contact with Count Varley, beset by a crying man spewing nonsense about giving her anything she wanted and never pressing her to be something she wasn't, being blessed with the opportunity to raise his Bernie-bear one more time, reborn. It was…jarring, to say the least, but thanks to her quick thinking Morgan found herself with the perfect opportunity to broaden her search horizons to find her father. Playing to the role, Morgan took up the mantle of Bernadetta von Varley, heiress to House Varley.

The count was a pleasant man, though it seemed he more attempted to atone for past mistakes he made with his daughter rather than having always possessing kindness in his soul, and the house servants were nice, although overbearing at times. But none of them could fill the hole that she gained when her father left her world. Over time, Morgan lost her bubbly nature, instead replaced with feelings of hopelessness and depression. Her first attempts to search for her father only made her realize that Fódlan was a much larger continent than she realized, and being affiliated with a major house in one of three fractioned kingdoms limited her ability to freely search without causing a major political problem. In more ways than she realized, Morgan continued to adopt the nature of the deceased Bernadetta von Varley every day, finding that only solitude could reliably keep her secrets when others would call her insane.

When the senior Varley offered her a chance to learn at the officer's academy in the major hub that was Garreg Mach Monastery, Morgan leaped at the chance, hoping that the ties the Church of Seiros had in each kingdom would allow her to expand her search, and at first, it did. But the limits of always being accompanied by an order of knights or other members of the Adrestian Empire made it almost impossible for her to freely venture the country. The house members were great people, and they worked together seamlessly but watching them work as they did only brought back harsh memories of the life she had lived beforehand.

Now, sitting in her room, locked away from the rest of the world, Morgan could let the pain that she held in every day slowly unravel itself as tears silently fell from her face. Each of the three houses, when considered all together, was like watching the antics of the Shepherds all over again, but this time, they would more than likely end up attempting to kill one another. Each house had its own Chrom, a central figure to lead them, but they didn't have a Robin, someone who bound them all together like a family.

And as she watched the sun lazily rise against the windowpane in her room, Morgan could only find it in herself to ask, as she did every morning,

"Daddy, when will you come back to me?"


	2. Wait a minute, who are you?

**Anamnesis: Chapter 2 – Wait a minute, who are you?**

**AN: Next chapter next chapter! Updates will be on and off, unfortunately, but University takes priority, especially with the major that I'm in. I promise I work on this in what free time I have, though!**

**Review responses:**

**x102reddragon: There will be a pairing, but as of now it remains undecided. If I cannot decisively find a pair, then I'll probably create a poll.**

**Lord Destroyer: I don't plan on Robin and Morgan having any crests, it wouldn't really work in a genetic sense for them to have any, so don't worry! I'm tempted to leave the Mark of Grima to screw with everyone, like a skin-branded crest, but if I do that I would have to change up some stuff for the story, which I'm already plotting some ideas for. Let me know if that sounds like a tangible idea. And yeah, I'm excited for the fated meeting of Robin and "Bernadetta" here, going to have some fun with it. The deal with Rhea will be explained in time. I'm unsure as to the pairing currently, but we shall see!**

**Thanos Cradik: Thanks! And I know, it hurts more than I can express in words to have killed of Bernadetta in the story. In my Black Eagles play-through, she just got ridiculous stat growth in every class and just destroyed any opponents. Probably one of my best units, and I loved her character!**

**romeoraiden: Don't worry, her actions will have consequences once Robin finds out about them, among other things. It'll probably be a chapter's worth of content when Robin finds out about it and discusses it with Morgan.**

**Dragon Tag: The hardest choices require the strongest wills. I REALLY didn't want to do it to Bernie-Bear, but it just wouldn't work for the two of them to be in the story the way that I have it planned. It was a necessary evil.**

**ExiledLegacy: Thanks for the encouragement! We shall see as to the involvement of the Awakening children, I shan't reveal much more regarding it. Big plot stuff! And about OP Robin. I understand your concern well, and I don't intend on having him just dominate every opponent he comes across. What I was really going for was expressing the power level difference between Robin and the lords. Coming from the man who, relatively speaking, just came from fighting three wars over what I interpreted to be over the course of what should be at least five years (realistically), his level of strength and experience is vastly above those of any students he will encounter, especially given his role in each war. Handling a "ragtag" group of bandits should be child's play to someone like him, based on his experience and intellect. The magic thing will be explained shortly as well, and be limited.**

**mega1987: Time will only tell about what their impact will be!**

**I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters.**

* * *

"Captain Jeralt, a word?"

"As I've said before, enough with the captain nonsense. But, what is it, Alois?"

"That man, Robin was his name? He seems to be, well…off, I suppose is the best word for it. Do you know if he suffered any head trauma recently, or, for that matter, as a child?"

"No, Alois, I don't. I just found him in one of the buildings at Remire while my mercenaries were setting up camp for the night. I know as much about the man as you do."

"He speaks of such absurd things, words that I have never heard of. I wonder what it is that is going on inside of his head for him to speak of such strange things…"

* * *

_How can all of these so-called lords, knights, and mercenaries be this stupid?_ Robin thought to himself. _There is simply no way for all of them to have never heard of the name of the continent that they live and work on! I suppose I support retaining individual cultural and historical accounts within individual land territories, but to be so out of date with modern events, it is simply absurd. I guess this just might be one of those cultural differences Say'ri talked about, but what I don't understand is their weapon forgery. For the nobles to possess such quality iron weapons, and this Jeralt figure to own a refined silver lance, the construction of their weapons is practically in-line with modern standards! A most peculiar situation indeed…_

"Sir Robin, a moment of your time?" The blond lord, _Dimitri, if I recall correctly_, asked.

"Of course. What do you need?"

"I would simply like to present my offer again under different conditions." Dimitri started, straightening his posture and facing Robin as directly as possible while walking alongside the man. "I know that you intend on searching this, uh…_Valm_, for a certain Say'ri, so you may return to, uh, Elibe, was it? If it turns out that, for whatever reason, that avenue becomes impossible, I would like to be the first to offer you a position to work with me in the Kingdom. We are in dire need of an accomplished tactician, especially one that can help lead from the frontlines and embodies the tenets of chivalry."

"Hold, Dimitri." The lady in red interjected, pulling herself into the conversation. _Edelgard_, Robin's mind supplanted. "Yours is not the only territory that would significantly benefit from the presence of a tactician. I would also like to extend an offer for you to work alongside me in the Black Eagle house and later in the employ of the Empire. Your ability to create a foolproof plan to foil those bandits while thinking of the common lives is an indispensable character trait that I look for in allies."

"And once again, both of you bicker over our new guest! My oh my, is this how the noblest of nobles are to interact with one another? I do believe that our most esteemed friend would rather not have to deal with the likes of your lot all the time and, instead, join the Golden Deer house and, if it so pleases you, to work with the Leicester Alliance." The man in yellow, _Claude_, grabbed at Robin's side, pulling him into a half-hug. "And anyway, a _grandmaster tactician _such as yourself should have a student of their own, and I just so happen to be quite the fledgling prodigy, if I do say so myself. As I've said before, my house is the most logical of choices."

"While I, uh, _appreciate _all of your suggestions and will take them into account, I find it highly unlikely that I will stay here for long. As _I've _said before, I have to return home, so whenever we reach this Grieth Magvel Monastery, I'll simply collect my bearings, direction, and be on my way. Anyways, it is not a terribly long journey back to Ylisse from northern Valm when we visit the…"

As the assembled party cleared the dense forestry, the towering figure of a monastery sitting atop of one of many rolling mountains cast its midday shadow over the group, the cold of the earth mixing well with the winds of the late summer.

"Ah, there she is." Alois turned to face Robin, stopping just before a pointed outcrop overlooking the monastery. "Quite the sight to behold, isn't she? Garreg Mach Monastery, the center of Fódlan."

_This…this isn't Valm._

_Where the hell am I?_

* * *

In one of three large classrooms from the monastery in question, a small assembly of students loitered amongst one another or kept to themselves. At the entrance to the classroom, a young, orange-haired, regal man entered. "Ah, it seems that the traveling party will be returning shortly! I saw one of the lead scouts just enter the front gates of the school. They sent out a good deal of guards for this expedition, but then again, the church was held responsible for the well-being of the future political leaders of this continent. Such a noble responsibility, although not one usually undertaken by nobles. What say you, Caspar? How do you think the party faired in their journey?"

A sky-blue haired man looked up from his seat. "Huh, the party is coming back? I guess they did alright, bet they got to see some action! Dang, if only they let the rest of us join in on the fun…"

"While I may not exactly agree with the fun aspect of the journey, I concur with wishing to join the main party so as to ensure lady Edelgard's protection from any threats that those other so-called _leaders_ may present to her lady's well-being." A tall, pale, dark-haired man spoke up from near the front of the classroom, although his figure was partially hidden in the shadows of the walls from being seated near the edge of the front-row tables.

"Oh Hubie, you worry too much! I know that Edie will be just fine, just as well as you do. She is one of the strongest members we have in the church, well, among the other classes that is. If anyone would have gotten hurt, it would have been anyone who stood in her path!" A lady with a mariner's cap spoke up, turning herself to face the center of the classroom.

"Once again, while I may mostly agree with that sentiment, Dorothea, one can never be too safe. A knife is found most often in one's back, after all."

"I am not understanding. Why would one put the knife in the back? Carving of the skin is best done from the front at the hands-on arms." A tanned woman questioned, turning from the book she was reading near the back of the class.

"Oh, no, Petra, it's a phrase. It means to betray someone when they don't expect you to. Like when your leader turns out to be working for the enemy." Caspar responded

"Or when your colleagues talk so loud that they force me awake with their banter." Opposing Petra on the other back-half of the room, a green-haired male spoke into the table his head was laying on.

"Ah, I have understanding now! I be thanking you, Caspar and Linhardt."

"I don't quite think you should consider Linhardt's…_interpretation _about that phrase to be correct, Petra. I think he was being more sarcastic about his lazy disposition." Ferdinand objected, raising himself from his seat. "That laziness will serve you no good, you must know that, Linhardt?"

"I'll have you know, Ferdinand, that I am simply storing all of my energy into reserves so that, whenever there is an emergency, I can be the first to escape."

As Ferdinand and Linhardt debated and the rest of the figures in the classroom watched on, a lone figure near the great windows capturing the dorms quietly observed the happenings in the room.

_Another day, I suppose. It isn't really talked about, but the way they carry themselves screams of noble disposition. In the Shepards, everything was just so casual that no one could even figure who had a great deal of wealth. Well, barring Virion, that is. You really wouldn't figure it with Chrom, surprisingly enough. There was that one time Frederick made all of those posters of Chrom. Lissa snuck a few before they were all taken down and handed them out to everyone, though, much to her brother's chagrin. But here, I feel so…out of place. I'm not really one of them, and if I hadn't begun reading up on proper etiquette recently, they may have started asking questions._

"I did hear something strange about the returning party, however."

Broken out of her musing by Ferdinand's interruption, Morgan walked back to her room, no longer interested in the conversations they may share of Edelgard and the others.

"Supposedly, there are two people coming back with them. Not as prisoners, however, but companions! One of them is Jeralt, the Blade Breaker himself, and the other is a man with a supposedly strange cloak…"

* * *

"It has been five years since I last set my eyes on this place. To be forced to come here now, to see her now…heh, well, as far as reunions go, this won't be a pleasant one."

"Exactly who is it that we will be seeing?" Robin asked, walking alongside Jeralt through the monastery halls up to an open room with painted glass windows.

The monastery itself seemed to give off a glow of its own, the halls providing a strange but not unwelcome warmth as one walked through them. _Probably infused with a kind of magic_, Robin mused, _the amount of light in the halls cannot be justified by the lights they have installed. Perhaps a seal-based array that has to be constantly infused each day to provide light, but the energy cost must be immense. What kind of tomes do they use, or the better question, are there people here who can power it themselves…_

"Oh, well, the archbishop of the church. Her name is Lady Rhea. Leader of the religious organization that the majority of folks in Fódlan happen to be devout followers of. She teaches on the texts of Seiros on Sothis, the goddess of the lands."

"Ah, I see. Would this goddess, Sothis, you said, happen to take the form of, or is constantly caricatured as a dragon?"

"A dragon?" The words stopped Jeralt in his tracks, and if Robin had not worked so closely with each of the Shepherds, taking the time to pick apart their idiosyncrasies, the look of unease that passed Jeralt's eyes would have been missed completely. "Well, if one were to peruse through the library texts on the history of the church long enough, I think there is a worn painting of all the crests and, in its center, a dragon surrounded by other people and other dragons. I wouldn't say that the goddess herself is the dragon, however, the picture is vague."

"An astute observation, Jeralt. Most people are not aware of that particular mural, but I suppose that the proper amount of searching for that particular text would halt many from accessing it." A man with green hair, wearing blue and white robes tinged with gold lining stated, accompanied by a buxom woman clad effectively regal regalia. "My name is Seteth. I am an advisor to the archbishop. I thank you for your patience, we had a short matter of importance that needed to be discussed before meeting you."

"Right. Hello."

"Jeralt, it has been so very long." The woman spoke up, turning to face the man directly. "I wonder…was it the will of the goddess that we have another chance of meeting like this?"

_Interesting, she's completely focused on him. One would assume that she would take in every person around her, but she's disregarded me entirely for the time being. Given his position as the former captain of the employed knights here, I wonder what subtext is truly being discussed. Perhaps his previous departure was not done in a well affair, or…does she like him?_

"Forgive my silence all these years. My mind was plagued with all that happened, and staying at the monastery was too much for me to bear. By the looks of it, however, it seems that my previous position has been filled in quite well."

_Ah, so it was not a good send-off. Better help him out here._

"It pained me to see you leave so soon, and your losses had deeply affected me as well. While it has been long since that day, I have not given up hope that the culprit will one day come before me and confess their sins. Such an unholy act only demands the most righteous of –"

"Um, excuse me? Hello? My name is Robin, and I was wondering if you could tell me where I am."

* * *

It was already shaping up to be a stressful day for Rhea.

Jeralt decided that all would be well if he were to simply enter the monastery after all these years and after _that_ event as if she was not truly aware of the culprit behind the fire. Her perfect vessel burned to ash…

It was almost poetic, she considered, that the man who burned away her dreams would come before her now as if she would not burn him to the ground at that very instant.

But she would withhold her judgment, _for now_. She would make use of Jeralt's many talents for a while to rid herself of the enemies crawling from the dark in a fashion not uncommon of an organized and well-supplied group. Ridding the fields of Fódlan of want-to-be liberators would be her first priority, then her prize.

The mind game with Jeralt pleased her. The subtlety of her message would be deaf to all ears but Jeralt, even Seteth.

It was because it was so pleasing that hearing some voice interrupts the execution of her condemnation had startled her so. _It was not Seteth nor Jeralt, but that…man? Wait, what did he say?_

"I am sorry sir, I do not believe that I heard you quite right. What was it that you just said?"

"Oh, that's fine. My name is Robin, and I want to know where I am."

"Well, Sir Robin, you are in my chamber office. Might I ask –"

"I am sorry, but it seems that my message was misinterpreted. What is the name of this continent, in what region do we currently reside?"

Never in all of her life had Rhea faced such…informality and bluntness. It was not above her to, on a rare occasion, overhear from others how her simple presence and air let off a firm feeling of authority and a demand for respect. In all of her years, never had she met someone who seemed to simply not…care for her role. It was jarring.

"Sir Robin, I would politely ask of you to show Lady Rhea some respect. As the head of the church, the archbishop controls over –"

"Alright, I understand. Lady Rhea, may you please tell me where I am?"

The shock that coursed through Seteth at that moment must have been great, for it had turned the man back as if he had been struck.

"I…well, Sir Robin, you are currently on the continent of Fódlan at Garreg Mach Monastery, which lies at the center of Fódlan. The library has many maps if you would wish to reference them for further detail." Rhea answered, after a minute of consideration. "Might I ask why you are with Jeralt? Perhaps the miracle of fatherhood has blessed you once again? Is he your child, Jeralt?"

Jeralt had tucked his head down and seemed to be reigning in a brief coughing fit. Rhea did always despise those.

"Uh, no, Lady Rhea, he's not my son. I found him in one of the houses at Remire Village while my mercenary band was stationed there. While he is a stranger to me, it would not seem that he is a stranger to the battlefield. He led a group of three nobles from that academy of yours against a band of bandits nearly twice their number without suffering any form of injury."

"So I have heard. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your service. It would reflect extremely poorly onto the church if we were to have allowed harm to come to the future political leaders of Fódlan."

"It was nothing." A short reply. The man seemed deep in thought, a pained look hidden in his eyes, a look she was well familiar with, of loss.

"I can assure you that it was very much of something to me, at least. Tell me, Sir Robin, what sort of business brings you to Garreg Mach Monastery?"

* * *

_That is a dangerous question. If I answer wrong or if I answer in some way that makes it seem like I am specifically plotting against the church, then I can rest assured knowing that my head will roll from my shoulders after hundreds of guards come to seize me. However, if I answer honestly, I might reveal information that may be critical only to the church and, once again, be put to death. Either way I look at it, I need to get into the monastery and start searching for information, but how do I lie my way out of this? I may have a passing understanding of political tact and pomp, but I would kill for Gaius right about now…_

"Well, Lady Rhea, that is a very good question. A very good question indeed. You see, I have come from a land far from here in search of a place to best use my skill set, that being an advanced mastery of over one hundred different militia and military-level war and battle tactics. The land that I come from, far off the coast to the East, has provided me with countless first-hand experiences and has provided me with strength both in the arcane arts and in swordfaire. I can assure you now that my skills are unparalleled against any opponent that you would have thrown against me."

"I have heard tale and tell of the continent of Fódlan, and simply wished to ensure that I arrived on the correct continent. My journey to Garreg Mach from the eastern countryside has left me quite turned around, so I apologize for my blunt manner of speech earlier. If you are in need of it, I would ask that you consider me for a temporary role as your grandmaster tactician."

Rhea passed to a pleased expression at the end. "Oh, my, Sir Robin, what a tale indeed. While I do believe that the church is in need of well-suited tacticians given our current track record, what I would rather have filled is the now-vacant position of professor for our employed houses. Seteth, what say you?"

The man raised a hand to his chin. "It is true that we are in need of a professor, and a good one at that. I would have proposed Jeritza for the role, although the man seems to be more effective out in the field than in the classroom. I would say that if Sir Robin can demonstrate for us his supposed combat effectiveness and tactical skills, then he may be a good fit for the role. Might I suggest a series of combat trials to test the man, followed by a test of field tactics, perhaps leading a house in the Battle of the Eagle and Lion?"

"I do believe that is a wise choice. Very well then. Sir Robin, if you so desire it, you may take the role of professor here at the Officer's academy if you can demonstrate your ability to confidently lead this generation of students into a bright future for Fódlan. I ask that you, Seteth, be the one to organize the battery of tests he is to perform. Now, Jeralt, if you will, may I ask that you accompany me to the Cardinal's room? I have more things that I wish to discuss with you in confidence."

"Wait, a professor…?" Robin turned to face Rhea but found that she and Jeralt had already left the room, leaving only him and Seteth.

"Well then, Sir Robin, Lady Rhea has asked me to organize your tests, and luckily for you, I already have a perfect sparring candidate lined up for you to test your skills of the blade against, our very own Jeritza. Know that I will be critically analyzing your skills and form so that Lady Rhea will have a better understanding when I return this information back to her. Against the likes of Jeritza, though, I think you will find your current confidence to be put to a true test. If you will, please follow me." Turning on his heel, Seteth briskly moved out of the room.

Standing for a moment longer to process what the man just said, Robin looked at his surroundings, noticed that he was alone, and rushed out of the room, calling out "What the hell is a Jeritza?"

* * *

"Dimitri, is it true that the man who accompanied you in through the gates was able to summon a spell so grand that it erased a man from existence?"

A mop of dark hair suddenly popped up from the corner of the room, a twinge of interest sprouting within the man.

"No, it wasn't that, Annette, I heard that he had such brute strength and skill with a blade that he held back the weapons of three men at the same time and was able to take them all down in one stroke, a stroke so fast that you couldn't even see it!"

"Wait, Ashe, Annette, I believe you may be mistaken, for –"

"Oh my, what a figure. While I do pray for those poor souls to find rest in the afterlife, I also pray that this man is of good intentions, Dimitri. Tell me, did he have noble intentions?"

"Of that, I can assure you, Mercedes. It truly was a sight to behold, the speed and skill that man has, it is beyond anything that I have ever witnessed. Even now, I know that if I were to attempt to attack that man, I would surely be slain, and yet he holds himself with a level of confidence that I yearn for, confidence only gained through years of hardship and battle. I truly wish I can get another chance to speak with the man, if not for him to join our house, but to listen to the advice he may have from his experience. I am certain that it would soothe my heart."

"If you wish it, my lord, I will assist with facilitating this process." A large man spoke from the side of the blond lord.

"Wait, Dedue –"

_Now the boar prince himself has taken an interest? How very peculiar, to know that even a beast could show humility against another foe. This demands but one thing._

"Beast, tell me of this man. What is his name?"

A sour look passed over Dedue's face as the large man turned to face Felix head-on, no doubt preparing to deliver his usual lapdog lines. Surprisingly, however, Dimitri answered.

"Robin. His name is Robin, and I intend to have him join our house. I do believe that I just saw him out through the window walking towards the training grounds with Seteth."

Quickly turning, Felix grabbed his supplies and pushed his way out the door. _A man like this demands that I try my blade against him._

* * *

"Now, Jeritza, if you may, I would ask that you test the skill of Sir Robin here on the blade."

The stoic, tall blond man lazily passed his gaze over Robin, casually running his hand across the hilt of the blade on his side.

"Will he provide me with a challenge?"

"Supposedly so. Lady Rhea has asked that his skills be tested to see if he shall become the academy's newest professor, and according to him, he can handle any opponent that we throw at him. So, I chose you, our resident fencing expert."

"Hmph. Very well. Sir Robin, I ask that you come at me with the full intent to kill me, show me your skill, and do try to make this a challenge for me." Jeritza had now fully unsheathed his blade, a long rapier forged out of silver.

"Of course, Jeritza. All I ask of you is that you keep your eyes open." In turn, Robin drew his Levin blade.

_The way he holds a blade, it is obvious that this man has had years of practice, but it is not his main weapon. To anyone else, his form would be excellent, but he holds himself as if he is accustomed to being able to switch between two weapons, this blade and another. Given the way he holds the blade out slightly further from his chest, I would say it is a weapon like a lance, but he doesn't hold it as if he were to stab, but rather…slice? Regardless of that, I need to show off my skills here, but not everything. Perhaps a series utilization of Pass and Ignis should do the trick if I set him up properly. Time to give him the Chrobin duo, but without the Chrom. Just the Robin. The Robin single. Yeah._

Looking around him as he stepped to the edge of the arena, Robin noted that a small crowd of students started to form around him and his opponent, whispering and pointing this way and that. Removing his cloak, Robin tightened his other clothes to his body and turned to face Jeritza.

"I will allow you to make the first move, Sir Robin. The sword trial shall yield either under my call or if one of us manages to disarm the other. Do you understand?"

"I do."

"Then, by all means, start whenever you are ready."

Robin focused his gaze onto the Jeritza's right shoulder where he held his rapier. _Alright, just like Chrom said. If I can pull this off like last time, I think I'll give these Fódlan folks a basis for a new sword style. Then again, the last time I did this I threw up all over the palace floor and Lissa with a concussion to boot, but it'll be fine, I think._

After a beat of silence, Robin rushed towards the man, bringing his sword to rest across his chest.

"Foolish, to run headlong into an enemy with more experience than –"

* * *

Jeritza had seen many…interpretations of new sword styles that students wanted to try out over his practice as the fencing instructor. He made it his job to point out the flaws in their strokes, correct their stances, and give them the tools to better improve their styles, but that was the rare case. Usually, it was him decimating student after student, and when he went to battle, it was him decimating foe after foe. Never had any one of the people he faced truly showed a surprisingly unique and tailor-crafted sword style, except for Catherine, but even hers was not perfect.

But this man had done something so out of place that, ever so slightly, Jeritza lowered his blade and focused in on what the man was actually doing by jumping into the air and raising his sword upwards.

_A challenge…?_

It would end up being the common gossip for the rest of the year that at that moment, to the students, Jeritza honestly did not know what to do with all of his expertise against the soon-to-be professor.

* * *

_The spinny thing works best for dudes by spring-boarding off the ground and, at the apex, practically throwing you and your sword into the ground and just flipping over and over again, but aiming the sword so that it doesn't stab into the ground, but rather slams down into your opponent. Simple, Chrom said. So simple indeed…_

The blades crashed against one another, Jeritza holding his ground with a renewed interest in his opponent and Robin pushing his blade down onto his opponent's rapier.

_I DID IT! Finally!_

Pulling his blade and body to the left, Jeritza broke through the hold and strafed around Robin, thrusting his blade to his unprotected side. Twisting his body in response to avoid getting skewered, Robin brought his blade to his front and rushed in close to the man. Throwing his weight into the blade, he slammed the blade down to the ground, forcing Jeritza to step back, but before he could prepare his own strike Robin activated _Pass _and closed the gap between the two, and by igniting _Ignis_, Robin had his sword perched at the man's gut.

"Yield," Robin commanded.

"…very well. Seteth, your companion surpasses my expectations. He would give me a true challenge were I to fight within my total capacity. He passes this test." Turning towards Robin, he added, "I will see you here frequently. We shall spar, and you will not hold back."

Nodding his head towards the strange man, Robin turned to look for Seteth but instead found all of the students who were previously surrounding the arena rushing up to him.

"By the goddess, I can't believe it! You actually took on Jeritza! And won!"

"He has to be ridiculously strong then if he can force Jeritza out of his own comfort. To have a new student be that powerful…"

"But he looks pretty young! He probably is not the oldest student here, and yet he would be the strongest. That's amazing…"

"Sir, how long did you train for? Can you teach me?"

"I uh, I still need to take my other tests…"

As Robin attempted to calm down the horde of students surrounding him, Felix watched on from underneath the awning of the arena in silence.

_He is strong. Wildly so. Blade work is impeccable, forged from years of tested combat. Not even a minute's worth of fighting and he came out the victor. Most of all, he kept calm. Never lost control of the situation, as if he planned for every single possible outcome and invented a counter to it._

_Just this once, I might help that beast get what he wants, if only so that I can benefit from it as well._

* * *

_I cannot believe that a plan I just made up in my head actually worked out. I would never have impulsively done that while in an actual battle scenario, for it could have jeopardized tactical waypoints if I didn't stick to the plan. Thankfully, each of the Shepards seemed to inherently understand that as well. Probably comes with the war experience, I suppose._

Robin walked alongside Seteth who was now oddly quiet, a tenseness in his shoulders that wasn't there before, something that Robin decided to leave be for the time being.

_I think that he may have underestimated my capabilities. _Subtly smiling to himself, Robin tilted his head towards the man. "So, now I suppose that we shall test my magical capabilities, yes?" The two men continued on through the main gates of Garreg Mach.

"Oh, right, of course. While the arena can be used for magic training and combat evaluations which is typically reserved for the certification exams, most combat training with magic is performed on a nearby plain which has been fortified by our best mages so as to prevent stray spells from flying away and hitting any unsuspecting individuals. What mages the academy currently has would probably be training there now, if I have the time correctly."

Pulling to the left of the entrance, Robin spotted a decently large field where there flashed an assortment of colors from the spellwork at hand. Basic _Wind_ and _Fire_ spells flew towards dummies, while what seemed to be works of a watered-down _Thoron_ and an oddly shaped _Mire_ struck out over periods of time.

"I see…"

_An area-contained spell matrix which dissolves casted spells should they be flung further than the allotted area. A quite powerful matrix at that, to handle so many casters at the same time. Miriel and Laurent would be having a field day, quite literally I suppose, were they here to see this. What is more interesting, however, are the spells themselves. To think that one of the greatest differences, aside from being in an entirely separate world, would be the variety of spells._

"Alright, Sir Robin. This test does not require any combat, but rather a demonstration of skill in the arcane arts. If you may, please demonstrate for me spells of each elemental nature at the highest level that you can muster. The _wind-_class would be a fine starting point."

_Here the students seem to learn magic by doing and self-improving on their own mistakes rather than deeply diving into their carrying tome. A fine trait to try and nurture for the future, so as to not have to carry a tome, but it leaves them suspect to not learning the spell steps correctly, or trying to fix a problem that does not exist. Unlike them, however, I have no need to worry. While Miriel and Laurent may be difficult to talk to at times, they were the ones to approach for learning spellcraft. Rexcalibur would do well here. Excalibur would be nice, but given my lack of wind specialization, unlike Ricken, I haven't practiced it as much._

Raising his hand, Robin let wisps of arcane energy freely flow from his hand, quickly constructing into a gale of harsh winds taken solid form, razor-thin and equally sharp blows striking the nearby area yet leaving no cuts in the earth.

"Alright, that's quite enough. An improved _Cutting Gale_ is quite superb compared to the students, but an high-intermediary skill at best for our more esteemed casters. Fire, if you may."

Letting _Rexcalibur_ dissipate in his hands, Robin allowed himself a beat before focusing in on his reserves once more, pulling on its might. _Fine, you want me to up the ante? Valflame would be just great, then. A favorite of Henry's, if I recall correctly. _Letting the circular matrix construct around his body up to his right wrist, Robin flung his hand forward. A veritable explosion of fire, condensed into a fine point that was then let loose, followed not even 30 feet from Robin's standing position.

"Well, I'm impressed. A unique take on _Bolganone_ and _Fire, _to have it condense like that and explode out in a lava-like manner. Definitely an advanced cast. _Thunder_-class, if you would."

Allowing himself a small smirk, Robin turned from the man back to the field before him. _The lava is new, but that's alright. Now I've got the home-field advantage. I do love Thoron dearly, but if we want to go for shock, hehe, value, then perhaps a spell from the Holy War era would do quite well._ Raising both hands, Robin began to pool his energy, but no matrix formed around his body.

"…*ahem* Sir Robin, whenever you are read-"

* * *

"Hey, when did those clouds get over here?"

"What clouds, you idiot? It's a perfectly sunny-"

"I mean THOSE clouds!"

Looking up, Seteth could only tilt his head in slight confusion as he overheard the surrounding students talk. _What clouds are they talking about, today was supposed to have clear skie-oh my goddess._

Swiftly, dark clouds began to coalesce above Sir Robin in the sky.

_Flayn will have nothing to do with this man. Ever._

* * *

_Just a little more, and…there. That should be enough for my favorite large-area of impact spell._

Flinging his hands down, Robin watched as bolts of lightning coalesced into a large hammer and began to rise into the air.

_Alright, now to watch this man's reaction to the awesome power of Mjölnir, my-_

"For the love of the goddess Sir Robin, MOVE!"

"Bwhuh?!"

Turning his head back to the spell, Robin could only look up in awe as the lightning he thought would make the body of the entire hammer only formed the base of its hilt. The rest of the hammer…

_Oh, sweet Naga._

The top of the hammer reached its apex.

A beat passed.

It flew down.

* * *

"Clauuuuuuudddehh. Do we really have to go out and find this random guy you just met in some random village at night to ask him to join our class?"

"No, Hilda. You all have to go out and find the random guy I just met in some random village at night to MAKE him join our class. You see, it's how you word things. He can't have an option. Little miss perfect princess and Dimitri have already got their eyes on him, and we don't have time to waste. He's got this intelligent gleam in his eyes like he knows way more than he lets on, and he's a fast learner too. There's definitely something strange about him, and I won't let those other two unravel my mystery. The Golden Deer house is on the move!"

"Feed the Deer!"

"No no no! Guys, it's fear the Deer. FEAR!"

As Claude stood to start berating his fellow classmates, a tremble shook the officer's academy buildings.

"…Raphael, did you forget your meal?"

A disgusted look crossed the large man's face. "What?! How could you accuse me of doing something so heinous! So vile! Abhorrent!"

"I didn't know your lexicon was so well developed, Raphael. If you were to continue talking like that, one might mistake your upbringing to have been completely a noble one."

"Lorenz, not now, we need to move! That must have been Robin!"

* * *

"Ah, Seteth, I was wondering when I would see you. How did the evaluation g-oh my, are you alright?"

A concerned look overtook Rhea's face as she took in the state of, _or perhaps what's left of_, her advisor. Torn rags were what covered the man previously wearing the church-sanctioned advisor clothing, and behind that was soot-covered skin and dozens of small nicks and cuts.

"…he passed the tests. Flying colors. No need to perform them again. Under any circumstance."

"I could gather as much from what I could hear from the rumor mill. Oh, and Seteth, your hair is smoking."

"I know."

An awkward amount of silence passed between the two.

"…alright then. Shall he be made an interim instructor until we can assess his tactical might?"

"…yes, Lady Rhea, I would suggest as much. If you do not require my immediate services, I would like to request the rest of the day off. Personal issues, you see."

"Oh, I can see quite well, Seteth. Very well, I hope you can resolve these _personal issues_ soon. By the way, what house should he lead?"

"Whichever one that he likes."

Rhea watched as the man dragged his feet across the floor of the antechamber, pulled himself out of the doorway, and collapse onto the ground. Already, a guard had lifted the man and started carrying him to the infirmary.

_Personal issues indeed…_

* * *

_Three days later…_

The bells sounded across the student dormitories in the early morning to prepare all students for their morning classes at the Officer's Academy. Many early risers pushed themselves out of bed and began to prepare themselves for the day of learning and success.

One not early riser, however…

Well, Linhardt learned a lot on his own time.

The other not early riser, on the other hand…

Morgan pulled her body from her lying position to an upright one, rubbing the drowsiness from her eyes. _I suppose I should prepare for the day. I'm pretty sure Edelgard would have my head if I did not show up for the first day of class. That would look pretty bad on her, not to mention me._

Looking out the window, Morgan noted how the light of the sun crested just underneath the cross of wood strapped across the glass. Her eyes widened in realization of the implications.

_I'm late._

* * *

"Well, hello everyone. My name is Robin, and it seems like I am one of your professors for the year. May we please take roll, and after that, I can answer any questions you may have for me, and then we can cover some basic logistical information about what I will teach you."

* * *

Morgan rushed through her room, grabbing pieces of her uniform strewn across the floor.

_Gah, stupid stupid stupid! You know that you're a late sleeper, but did you do anything about it to help wake you up before the first day, Morgan? Nooooo, Morgan will remember to actually get up at the first bell. Morgan will actually get up from the bed and wash down and get dressed. Goddesses damn it!_

* * *

"Huh, it seems that Miss von Varley is not currently present."

"Professor, forgive me. Bernadetta can be…difficult to convince to do many things. I take full responsibility for her tardiness."

"No need, Miss von Hresvelg, but I would ask everyone to understand now that tardiness for my class is something I would have you rather avoid. Not because I expect due promptness, but because I want to start off by teaching what is necessary and then transitioning into practical models by the end of my lesson. Without a proper grasp of the theory underlying a principle, how can one expect to execute it properly? Knowledge begets all experience. One of my favorite phrases, by the way. I will seek out Miss von Varley personally by the end of the day."

* * *

Grabbing her ink and quill set, along with a few sets of parchment paper, Bernadetta rushed from her and out towards the Black Eagle's classroom proper.

* * *

"I have a question, professor. For repetition's sake, my name is Ferdinand von Aegir, and I would like you to clarify exactly what you meant when you said that you were _one_ of our professors for the year. I thought that the Academy only employed one professor per classroom?"

"A good question. Under normal circumstances, from my understanding of it, that is the case. When I went to talk with Lady Rhea about which class I would be heading and she told me of this, however, I saw a flaw in this plan. Only learning from one person for the entirety of the week does not allow all of you to appreciate different viewpoints on similar subject matter. So, as a solution, I asked that instead of three separate instructors leading each class isolated from one another, we take on a rotating schedule during the day. Much easier to do than trying to merge all of the classes into one."

"Now, as for the logistics to the course…"

Robin could hear the door open from the back of the room as a meek voice said something over the turning heads. Keeping his back to the class and starting to write on the provided chalkboard, Robin raised his response.

"I'm sorry, who are you and what did you say?"

* * *

Morgan spoke a bit louder from her bowed-head position. "I said I'm sorry for showing up late, and my name is Bernadetta von Varley. I-"

_That voice. _Morgan froze halfway through her apology. _I know that voice._

"Well Miss von Varley, your tardiness will be quite alright for today, but please don't make a habit of it. As I said to the rest of the class earlier, I like to start the day immediately with theory and then move on to practical models by the end of the day, because –"

"Knowledge begets all experience. I know."

* * *

"I, uh, yes, that is correct Miss von Var-"

Robin stopped halfway through his response. _That voice. There's no way…_

"-ley. May I ask that you raise your head?"

* * *

The girl before the class started to tremble, and then silently began to sob. The room went silent.

"Bernie, dear, is everything alright? You're acting a bit strangely, and-"Dorothea began, rising out of her seat.

"Why is she the sad? Is it because of the professor? Is it like you said, Caspar, about the ugly boy that killed everyone? Is she dying? Our professor is not the ugly."

"No, Petra, it was a barnacle, and that was just a funny old story. It's not true."

"Then why is Bernadetta trembling like the prey before a predator?"

"I…honestly I have no clue whatsoever."

"Professor, I don't know what has gotten into Bernadetta today. Please accept my sincerest apologies."

"Hm, that is strange. I thought I was the only person who could make other people cry when they looked at my displeased face. That was a field I never thought I would have any competition in."

"That would be because your 'displeased' face looks more like an 'I will murder you and enjoy every moment of it wholeheartedly' face, Hubert."

"Whatever is the difference between the two, Ferdinand?"

"…wait, what?"

"zzz..."

"Dad…"

The heads in the room turned once again to face Bernadetta, and then to Robin.

"You're here, after all this t-time, I finally found you."

It was in one moment that the members of the Black Eagle house saw Bernadetta in one place, and in the next moment, she had glomped their newest professor.

"By the goddess, Bernadetta, what are you doing?!"

At that moment, Morgan wouldn't have cared if Naga, Sothis, and Grima all came into the land of mortals and decided to tear the world asunder. She wouldn't care if Lady Rhea were to walk into the room this very moment. She wouldn't care if the world stopped moving, because when Morgan felt the bulky yet fine cloth of her father's cloak around her face, and saw the stitching pattern in the exact same shape, and the one little hole on the sleeve underneath the forearm where she had once accidentally ripped open the cloak a bit while trying to resew some torn threads for her father, she knew that she had finally found what she had been searching for over the last two years.

Safe. Her father was safe.


	3. So I am Confusion

**Anamnesis: Chapter 3 – So I am confusion**

**AN: The next time I have to classically prove the Rydberg formula using the Bohr hydrogen model and then completely refute it on the grounds that modern quantum-mechanical atomic structure is the only way we can numerically depict the probability positioning of electrons in an atom for any other atom that isn't hydrogen or hydrogen-like, I am going to lose my shit.**

**Furthermore, the next time I have to experimentally determine the fundamental unit of charge with a required chi-squared distribution of acceptable and non-acceptable average values for the fundamental unit of charge, I will also lose my shit, but not as much as the last example.**

**And sorry for the long delay on this chapter. College is hard as a physics B.S.**

**Review responses:**

**PervyPanda: All good things must come to an end. For Robin, I think at this point, if we use the scaling Awakening goes off of and my own personal run of the game, Robin was a monster who could, going back to the beginning of the game, solo the first map without taking any damage. Now, that is practically true for anyone of the units, but my Robin was maxed out in stats and abilities. I would suspect that a group of bandits would be, at this point for him, the simplest thing to handle, especially given the number of them in the beginning level. He is cocky to a T right now, but it will not last, of that, I can assure you. I would say that he is not a god or anything, but that's kinda pushing it.**

**Cyberior: Ooo, but that would be telling, dear reader! I suppose you and all others will simply have to wait and see! But a good question! I have something special for that.**

**Masquer Q: She does not have a crest. That is more of a Fódlan-specific thing to me. Regarding love interests, I have a superbly rough idea of what I may want to do with it, but it is a bit early into the story for me to be focusing on romance just yet. It is a difficult topic that will be broached at a later date when it becomes more relevant to the plot.**

**Like everyone else that responded: :)**

**Storytime! (By the way, if all y'all haven't figured it out yet, there will be spoilers throughout the story, as in, information that is revealed in later chapters will be made obvious now for certain characters who would reasonably have prior knowledge of said information. Be warned, ye who enter here.)**

* * *

Flayn was a curious little individual.

Now, many would say she was a curious little girl, but she quickly let everyone know that she was actually…_roughly_ around their age and was not little be any means, barring her height, that is. It was not her fault that she simply did not grow as fast as everyone else, but her father, as overprotective as the man is, told her that it meant the goddess would bless her even more later in life, since one must wait for all good things, and she believed him wholeheartedly.

_And thinking of the man, I have not seen him anywhere! That is a most curious condition, as it is usually he who always endeavors to find me, rather than the other way around. What an interesting development. Perhaps I shall check his personal quarters…_

"Oh, brother, are you in there? I have been searching for you everywhere. I have heard rumor of an interesting individual making rounds in the monastery, and was wondering who it may b-"

"Flayn!"

The door flung open, and the sight that Flayn took in was not one she would have ever thought to be remotely possible. In fact, it was such a jarring sight that overtook her eyes that Flayn made to pinch herself, for she certainly must have been dreaming. Upon confirming that she was, indeed, awake, Flayn attempted to collect the mountain of thoughts running through her head into a cohesive string of sentences, but could only muster asking one question.

"Brother, what happened to your hair?"

"There is no time for that, Cethleann." A small gasp came from Flayn. Her father almost _never_ called her by her given name. "No time at all. I need you to listen to what I am about to tell you and regard it as nearly equal to the teachings of Seiros herself, for it will mean your life. Do you understand?" Dragging her into his room, Seteth started to pace wildly back and forth across his floor, the mental anguish written clearly across his face.

"Brother, what are you talk-"

"Do you understand?!" Seteth had only raised his voice a few times towards Flayn, but when he did, it must have meant only the direst of situations.

"I, I do, father. What is it?"

"My sweet Cethleann, that man which you speak of is undoubtedly a monster hidden in human form. A demon, no, a god of death and destruction whose very breath brings ruin across the lands. He may seem a normal individual at face value, but hidden behind that visage of his is a soul darker than the heart of Nemesis himself."

"Oh, how terrifying! Brother, why would the church let him onto the grounds?"

"It seems that the power of this demon is so great that it can even fool Lady Rhea herself, but I was able to divine his true form in only what certainly must have been an intentional slip of his power directed towards me. That thing wanted me to know its power, so that I would not try to take direct action against it, for it would certainly kill us all were I to have done so. You must promise me that you will never go near this being, for I fear that he would take only the greatest of joys in destroying your very soul with his fell power."

"Oh father, I truly am frightened. Tell me, what his name is so that I may avoid him at all costs!"

"That thing takes the title of…Robin."

"…wait, do you mean like the robin, the bird?"

* * *

"Father!"

"Morgan!"

"Bernadetta!"

"Bernadetta?"

"Morgan?"

"Father?"

"Robin?"

"Caspar!"

The classroom had now devolved into a series of random shouts and questions being launched at the duo still piled onto the ground. Linhardt outwardly did not seem to show much interest at all in the entangled duo, and frankly was quite peeved that his peaceful slumber would now have to be put on hold until this whole mess would be properly sorted out, and given Caspar's boisterous nature, Petra's probable slew of questions, and Ferdinand's…Ferdinand-ness, that would take a while.

But the scene before him raised questions. As a matter of fact, it raised many jarring questions and problems. _I know for a fact, as does everyone else in this room, that Professor Robin is not Count Varley, the physical makeup is much too different than the most recent painting on the man, which is kept on file within the library concerning the political figures of the Empire. But Bernadetta has quite possibly done the most out of character thing imaginable. She would not just randomly glomp any person that walked through the classroom doors. But not only has she done that, she has taken to calling him father as well. Even further, Professor Robin has called her Morgan, and she has not taken to correcting him either, or reacting in any noticeable way. More and more questions…and it seems that Edelgard has started to think on this as well. What a situation. This requires some investigating._

A harsh slap rang throughout the classroom, silencing everyone in an instant. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I have searched the entirety of this continent looking for you, and after all of my searching, over two years of searching, you just now decide to come to Garreg Mach? I mean, seriously father, what were you thinking?!"

"Two years? What do you mean, Morgan? It's only been five days since the battle. I may be older than you, but I most certainly am not that old, or old at all for that matter. I mean, twenty-three or twenty-four is practically the prime of my early adulthood."

Bernadetta seemed to stumble on her words for about thirty seconds, sputtering this way and that, before she looked down at the Professor, a forming glint of some realization in her eyes that would likely remain known only to her.

"Five days, but…no, Naga and Anna said that…wait, but…no, no they didn't. Naga damn it, you didn't tell me when! They sent me out here for two years of useless scavenging for someone who wasn't even here yet?! I swear, I'm going to do to them what we did to Grima but, like, ten times worse when we get back."

"Well, you do look a tad bit older, dear. Is this some kind of new Outrealm? The League of Anna's must be working pretty hard on that expansion project Anna was telling me about, or was it Anna? It's quite hard to keep track of them all, honestly. Especially when they dress in other clothing, it's like looking at a herd of money-hungry sheep, but the sheep have swords and demand ridiculous prices for all of their goods."

"Bernadetta, explain yourself at once! Why have you pounced upon our new Professor as such? And whatever are you speaking of? You must have given our new Professor a concussion when he landed on the ground, for he seems to be speaking of strange things as well, referring to you as some Morgan girl and other nonsense." Ferdinand, Linhardt noted, seemed tired of simply watching and wanted in on having some answers.

"Bernie dear, are you…alright? This is the strangest I have ever seen you act." Dorothea jumped in as well.

* * *

Morgan could feel the color drain from her face.

_Oh sweet Naga, I really messed it up this time. They've heard too much. It really is regrettable, but I suppose I will have to kill them all._

…

_Wait, Morgan, what are you thinking! I'm not going to kill them all, that's insane! No, there is only one solution, I have to lie my way out of this._

Rising slowly to her feet, Morgan started to speak. "I, uh, that is to say, uh…this is, uh..."

"Really, Bernadetta," Ferdinand now strode to stand directly in front of her, "such behavior is absolutely unacceptable to commit in front of and on our professor! For shame, Miss von Varley! Do you have no respect for the customs and proper etiquette to follow when addressing and acting in front of your professor?" Turning his head to her father, Ferdinand lowered himself to the ground. "Professor Robin, my most sincere and deepest of apologies are to be given for Bernadetta's behavior within these past moments. I can speak for the rest of the class when I say that not a single soul knows why she has acted as such. You must have hit your head when she barreled into you like that to be referring to her so casually. Please, allow me to escort you to the infirmary."

"Now now," father started, "I'm quite alright. If anything, it is all of you who are confused. Why are you calling Morgan some other name? Bernadetta, was it? And while the fall was not exactly pleasant, I am fairly certain that I did not hit my head."

"My goodness, the Professor is worse off than I thought. Really, Bernadetta, look at what you have done! Lady Rhea and Seteth will be livid with our class. Caspar, help me and grab Professor Robin's legs, would you? We simply cannot have him walking in this state. And Professor, know that I, Ferdinand von Aegir, NOT Edelgard von Hresvelg, was the one who helped in your time of need today."

"Really, Ferdinand, must everything be a competition between us?" Edelgard sighed, exasperation overcoming her features.

_Perhaps I can back my way out of this while everyone is distracted, _Morgan thought to herself, edging toward the entrance.

"It is only a competition if I am winning, Edelgard, and know that I am most certainly winning. Hubert has been keeping score, right, Hubert?"

"Hm? Did you say something, Ferdinand? I simply could not discern between your incessant prattling and the background noise running through my head."

"Ack! My word, Hubert, do you mean to tell me that you have not been keeping count of Edelgard and I's most daring of duels for the title of most superior person?"

"Why would I need to keep track if I already know that Lady Edelgard has you beat ten times over already, Ferdinand? Do you mean to humor me with the notion that you, in any capacity, could measure up to Lady Edelgard? Why, that is the second most humorous thing I have borne witness to all day."

"And what would be the most humorous, if I may ask."

"Why, it is yourself, Ferdinand."

Reaching the door, Morgan rushed to open the handle and dashed from the room.

"Wait, so I am confusion. Why is Professor Robin being the lifted like the dead animal carcass into the air? He is not the dead, nor has he been the skinned either. And why was he calling Bernadetta, who has run from the room like scared prey, the Morgan?"

"Sweet Sothis. Petra, we really need to work on your comparisons. And…wait, where did Bernadetta go?" Dorothea started to walk toward the door, alongside the now-moving trio of Ferdinand and Caspar holding their newly-made Professor in the air.

"Wait, I'm being serious. I'm fine, you guys. You can put me down, honest."

"Absolutely not, Professor, this is for your own safety. I, Ferdinand von Aegir, shall be sure to rectify all of the mistakes that were just made."

"Yeah, Professor! We can't let you go around hitting your head again, that would be really bad, I would know." Caspar added, eager to help in the situation. "It's just the right thing to do, so don't worry about it!"

As Robin struggled to free himself from the combined grip of Caspar and Ferdinand, back in the classroom, Edelgard stood and watched the scene quietly.

…

_What has happened to this class?_

"I have no idea."

Jumping slightly, Edelgard quickly turned to face the owner of the voice, none other than Linhardt.

"How did you-"

* * *

"...and given these unique circumstances, instead of each house being taught by only one professor for the entirety of the year, barring the seminars, of course, we shall instead have a rotating schedule between each of the professors. That is, the professors shall teach each of the classes over the course of the week, helping to develop each of your specific strengths in their own manner, so that you will not only have one perspective, but three in total! It really is quite the plan." Hanneman lectured on to the Blue Lion house, _a perfectly organized and dutiful group, just the way I prefer it._ "Now, on to my general course administrivia, I shall be instructing…"

On the outside, Dimitri looked ever the part of a calm and collected noble, fully attent and aware of each word coming from Professor Hanneman's mouth, but internally he could have cared less for what Hanneman was rambling on about, likely something to do with crestology and crest research.

"…my field of crestology and crest research, which have amazing implications on both the social and power dynamic of our current day and age politics, as well as…"

_So it seems that the professors shall be rotating amongst one another. Good, then Sir, well, now Professor, Robin shall be leading us as well. While Hanneman does bring a lot of information to the table, some of which can be vitally useful to understanding my own crest, his teachings would better suit the likes of our more studious students, such as Annette, Ashe, and Ingrid. Sylvain will undoubtedly despise these lectures but show nothing of it, Felix may hold some interest in it, as long as he can practically use it alongside a sword, Mercedes will like them as long as she can use it to help heal, and Dedue…well, I am not entirely sure how Dedue will take to this._

_Everyone looks so…disinterested, though. _A small smile spread across Dimitri's face. _It seems as though they were looking forward to meeting our newest professor on the first day, but he must be cooped up in his classroom as well, whichever one he has been tasked to lead for now._

"Everyone, please step aside. I, Ferdinand von Aegir, am helping carry Professor Robin to the infirmary for he is most certainly concussed!"

_...wait, what?_

Looking amongst the other students, Dimitri realized that he was not the only person to have heard what was just said, and turned to look out the window as Hanneman started towards the door.

"My word, did I just hear that properly? Whatever could have happened?"

More shouting quickly followed Hanneman's self-muttering. "Yes, you heard that correctly, my fellow student colleagues. Professor Robin has suffered a serious blow to the head after being tackled by…someone, unexpectedly while teaching our class! Caspar and I must make haste to the infirmary so that he may receive medical attention promptly."

"What! No, I did not tackle him!" A voice shouted, most likely belonging to Caspar. "Just because I fight a lot doesn't mean that I'd tackle my Professor on the first day of class! Unless he was a real jerk or murder or something like that…"

"Good heavens, I simply cannot believe this." Hanneman shook his head. "Students, please keep calm while I go and fetch Manuela. Really, on the first day, how absurd…"

As Hanneman left the Blue Lion classroom, each of the students turned to face one another.

"Oh my," Mercedes started, "whoever could have attacked the Professor? And why? He seemed like such a nice individual. Perhaps I should go and help with his healing…"

"To think that there may be assassins attempting to take the life of the new Professor already, he must be significantly more important than I granted him credit for." Sylvain started.

"Goodness, Sylvain!" Ashe rose, "Do you really think that there are assassins after the professor? Why…it's just like the beginning of The Sword of Kyphon! Except the teacher actually died protecting Kyphon and Loog from their would-be assassin…"

"Huh, you know what Ashe, you are exactly right," Ingrid added. "However, it may be more likely that someone was running through the halls and the professor made an accidental collision with them. Then again, that would only work out if he was in the hallway, not in a classroom…"

"Perhaps someone rushed him from the doorway and tackled him to the ground!" Annette rose from her seat, momentum building in her frame as she paced across the room. "I mean, I think anyone of us would be quite shocked to see someone bull rush towards us from the entrance of the classroom. Perhaps the professor's back was turned and he was caught unawares before the attacker could be restrained. If that's the case, we need to go and help!"

"Your highness?" Dedue differed to Dimitri.

A moment passed as Dimitri watched the others turn to him, a small amount of pride budding in his heart as he saw how readily the others, even Felix, would trust his judgement.

"…we must make haste and hurry to find the attacker. Be prepared for anything. We must not allow them to escape."

* * *

"Ah, father? Is that the man down there?"

Cichol's back was turned to Cethleann, resting upright on his bed with his head turned into his hands. "Is he wearing a dark cloak? Does he have pale white hair, like Edelgard's?"

"Yes, father. The students seem to be…well, they seem to be praising him. Lifting him into the air and carrying him inside the monastery. All shouting about…something. It looks quite fun!"

Silence overtook the room.

"…Father? Are you alright?"

"…so it has begun. He has already twisted their minds and tainted their souls, Cethleann. There is no hope for those students, they are beyond redemption, beyond saving. Death is the most merciful thing we can grant them, but I cannot act now. I must bide my time and gather my strength, learn my enemy." Cichol slowly rose from his bed, back still turned to his daughter. "Commit those faces to memory, Cethleann. They are now the enemy. Harden your heart and prepare your body, they are your allies no longer. We will have to put them down for their own good."

"I…are you certain that we have to kill them, father? Is there truly no other way?" Cethleann asked, her voice but a mere whisper.

"I know it pains you so, but if we do not have the heart to stop him, all of Fódlan will be in jeopardy. We must act in favor of the common good now, and we do not have much time to study this demon before his army becomes too great. Now, tell me, who have we lost already?"

* * *

Lysithea von Ordelia was bored out of her mind.

_To be stuck with Manuela as a professor, I might begin praying to the goddess for Hanneman at this point. While he may know too much for his own good and is much too nosey, it must certainly be a better alternative than having a professor tending to a hangover on the first day of classes. And to think our class just missed out on the new professor, who is supposed to be a true magical prodigy. What rotten luck!_

"Ugh, heavens everyone, would you please quite down? I have a murderous headache…"

"But, Professor Manuela, no one was talking?" Ignatz responded and questioned.

"Ughhh. Listen, I'll make this short so I don't have to talk for long, because if I do I am almost certain that I will vomit. The professors are going to be on a rotating schedule for each class, so at some point, that jerk Hanneman and the new professor will be teaching you, independently, of course. For now, just, I don't know, read a book and be quiet, please. Actual class will be tomorrow."

_How irresponsible of her, to go out drinking the night before she has to work! I simply cannot believe this. Oh well, best not to waste my time. I suppose I can keep reading the new publication on Magical Manipulation: Cheese and Dreams. Their theory is quite astounding…_

"Hey, does anyone else hear that?"

A low murmur of voices outside the classroom grew steadily in noise level until, suddenly, the door was opened and Hanneman walked in, exasperation already spread across his face as the voices outside the class grew severely in intensity.

Manuela turned her head to the door, then pushed her head onto the podium. "Oh, it's you. How could this day get any worse? What do you want Hanneman? I have a lot to deal with right now."

"Manuela, it's always a pleasure to speak with you in the early morning. Right now, however, I need to ask that you accompany me to the infirmary. It seems that our newest professor has been attacked and has suffered a head injury."

Within a moment Manuela seemed to collect herself and straightened her posture, a serious look crossing her face. "I see. Then let us go, we should not keep him waiting."

Nodding his head, Hanneman swiftly walked alongside Manuela out of the Golden Deer classrooms.

Lorenz was the first to break the silence. "Oh my, how unfortunate that the professor should be attacked on the first day! To think that even the monastery would have its fair share of evil-doers. I will go and collect something for the professor to help speed up his recovery, it is what a proper noble would do in this situation."

Claude rose from his chair, a gait in his step as he surveyed the classroom. "Attempting to curry favor with the new professor already, Lorenz? I think that you will find he is not someone who would fall victim to your high-brow sophistication so readily. Not at all. As a matter of fact, I think that everyone else here has instead fallen for HIS trap!"

"What do you mean by that, Claude? Seems to me like the Professor wouldn't exactly plan and get someone to attack him on the first day of class just because." Raphael asked, holding his hand in the air.

Leonie, who sat next to the large man, raised her hand. "Yeah, Claude. Captain Jeralt was the one who found the newest professor, and if Captain Jeralt is alright with him, then everyone should be, especially I."

"Hold, hold, my fellow comrades, your words are too quick to bite!" Claude, raising his hand high into the air, dramatically layed it upon his forehead. "You misinterpret my words. What I am trying to say is that everyone has become so interested in who the Professor is as a person, too interested. Now, I am not saying that is a bad thing necessarily, but that is only for the right people under more natural circumstances. Here, however, forces are at play to cover our eyes and divert our attention away from something. Does anyone know what that is?"

Lysithea, a dull expression on her face, raised her hand. "That is rather simple, Claude. Barring basic questions about his being and simple upcoming that will become this week's gossip within the hour, we don't know why it is that he was so readily accepted into the church."

"Correct, Lysithea! Everyone knows that you just don't walk into Garreg Mach and say _Oh look at me, I can do magic and spin a sword really pretty. Let me have direct access to and the ability to mold the minds of Fódlan's next generation of political leaders._ It does not make any sense. Why would Rhea and, most importantly, Seteth, allow some stranger complete access to all of these resources? Robin seems to be a swell gentleman at face value, but without any information on our end of who he is, there is no good basis for letting him enter the Officer's Academy as a professor! Does the church actually know who he is? If that is the case, though, then why did he say that he didn't know what the church was? Or, for that matter, what Fódlan was?"

_Curioser and curioser. Who are you really, professor? Why did you show up now?_

* * *

"Ferdinand, I'm being serious. I demand that you put me down!"

"Unfortunately, I cannot do that, Sir Robin. Your concussion must be exacerbating something and you are becoming delirious. You are an intelligent man, so under normal circumstances, if you were actually of right mind, then you would not complain as Caspar and I took you to the infirmary. However, since you are becoming increasingly frustrated, that only proves that you are actually in more pain than you let on. We must hurry, Caspar!"

"Even faster? Gotcha! Lemme just grab the Professor and I'll have him there in less than a minute!"

"Wait, Caspar, proper body carrying procedure dictates that at least two people must be working in tandem to carry an injured person, lest they –"

"Bah, don't worry about it! I'll be careful."

_He's going to do what to me?_

Robin felt himself get hefted onto the shoulder of Caspar, and slowly begin sliding down his back. Under normal circumstances, Robin's agility would have allowed him to have stopped his fall with a well-placed hand onto the ground, but the sudden shift in momentum set Robin off-kilter, and he fell forward at a sudden rate as Caspar jolted up once. The quickly approaching floor was the last thing Robin saw before everything went black.

"…"

"Uh, whoops?"

* * *

Dimitri had seen enough. It became so clear so quickly. Everything made too much sense.

Ferdinand and Caspar were attempting to make off with the body of the Professor after the person who had attacked him, someone that they undoubtedly hired with coin, failed in their ambush. Running off in the guise of _helping_ Professor Robin, it was the perfect getaway. No one would believe that the perpetrators were the ones actively trying to fix the problem. And they more than likely would have got away with it in their little act, but Dimitri knew better, so he followed them alone as everyone else made off in pursuit of the attacker.

And watching as Caspar lifted the new professor into the air and drive his face into the stone ground, undoubtedly to render him unconscious so that they could make for a much more stealthy escape, Dimitri had seen enough. He had his evidence collected. But he could not, no, he _would not_ wait for their deeds to be punished. Feeling his sins crawl along his back, faint feelings of something crawling through his mind, he came to his conclusion. He would carry out justice now.

"Halt! Ferdinand and Caspar, cease your actions at once!"

"Ah, Dimitri, just the prince I wished to see. Would you mind terribly in assisting Caspar and I as we-"

"Attempt to make off with Sir Robin's body, undoubtedly to sell him to slavers or bandits for a hefty ransom?! I would think not! Such despicable, deplorable actions that you would commit to a man that you just met, I cannot construct the words to properly convey my utter disgust at your actions. Has he done anything to wrong either of you?"

Caspar spoke first. "Well, no, but –"

"So not only are you committing such villainy on a man you just met, you are doing it onto an innocent man? Dastards! I'll have the both of you brought down before I let you do anything to that man!" At that, Dimitri felt his blood rush, the feeling twisting inside of him forming something more tangible, something he has grasped before. Anger. Fury. Rage. He rushed at the duo.

"Uh, Ferdinand, what's Dimitri doing?"

* * *

Solon was making his rounds around the monastery. The start of the school year would have many students beckoning for books from his alternate persona Tomas, but that came later into the day. This early, however, there was peace, and in the peace, Solon could watch, observe, make note of the things he found worthy making note of, and forming plans to crush out all life for the eventual rise of the Agarthans. That day would be the true day of reckoning when the earth's mother fell and the gods from the sky crashed and burned on a ruined Earth. That day would be the most splendid one indeed.

But that would come with time. Patience. _Planning_. Rounding the corner to the flight of stairs that led down from the second floor, Solon felt a presence so unlike any other, so tainted by _fell_ power that it even eclipsed what his people had felt on _that day_ so many years ago. This was no fell star, no…

It was a fell god.

_More planning indeed_, thought Solon, as he looked upon the unconscious frame of the white-haired individual resting on the stair steps.


End file.
